Safety control system for coke removal plants



y 31, 1960 H. OETIKER 2,938,640

SAFETY CONTROL SYSTEM FOR COKE REMOVAL PLANTS Filed March 4, 1958 INVENTOR 15' N5 GET/KER.

BY ii/ ATTORN EY United States Patent SAFETY CONTRGL SYSTEM FOR COKE REMOVAL PLANTS Hans Oetiker, Oherdorfstrasse 21, Horgen, Switzerland Filed Mar. 4, 1958, Ser. No. 719,147

Claims priority, application Switzerland Apr. 25,1957

Claims. (Cl. 214-23) The present invention relates to a safety control system for plants for removing hot coke from coke ovens.

Every coke production plant includes an apparatus for removing the red-hot coke from coke chambers. This apparatus comprises several separate elements in the form of service vehicles which can be moved on rails on both sides of the choke chambers into the respective operating positions. These vehicles carry the devices which are necessary for emptying the coke chambers. One vehicle carries a motor-operated plunger for pushing the coke out of a coke chamber. On a second vehicle a grate is mounted through which the coke slides onto a coke removal car standing in readiness alongside the second vehicle. Safety of operation of such a plant is assured only if provisions are made that the plunger cannot be actuated unless all cooperating elements are in the ready position. If the red-hot coke is expelled too soon, for instance, before the grate is in the proper position or before the coke removal car is ready to receive the coke, serious accidents can occur and the life and health of the operating personnel may become endangered.

Plants of the aforedescribed type are usually supervised by attendants who are placed on the two service vehicles. Since the attendants cannot see each other, when the vehicles are in the ready posit-ion, they have "to communicate by shouting to each other. When the service vehicles and the apparatus thereon are in the ready position a signal is given by means of a flag for starting "the plunger motor. With this method of supervision errors and inaccurate operation are unavoidable, causing damage and accidents.

Electrically operated safety devices have been proposed. These, however, have been found to be inadequate. The vibrations which are unavoidable in plants with which the invention is concerned cause short circuits or breaks of the "electrical conductors resulting in omission of signals or in wrong signals.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a safematic conduits which are connected by means of couplings with each other and with vessels containing compressed air, when it is desired to make the machinery ready for operation. The pneumatic conduits are provided with valves which are arranged in series relation and are indiv-idually correlated with the elements which must be controlled or supervised. The valves remain closed as long as the elements with which they are correlated are not in a condition in which these elements are ready for operation and are adapted to be individually automatically opened by the individual elements when the latter are ready for operation. In addition to the aforesaid cooperating elements the machinery for removing the hot coke includes a masteractuator which is adapted to be operated by compressed air which is supplied through't'h aforesaid pneumatic conduits only, if all aforesaid valves are in open position.

The novel features which are considered characteristic of the invention are set forth with particularity in the appended claims. The invention itself, however, and addi tional objects and advantages thereof will best be understood from the following description of an embodiment thereof when read in connection with the accompanying drawing the one figure of which is a schematic illustration of a system according to the invention.

Referring more particularly to the drawing the letter C designates a row of coke chambers. Letters A and B designate service vehicles which are placed on either side of the coke chambers C when removal of hot coke is desired. The letter D designates a coke removal car.

An air compressor 31 is mounted on the service vehicles A for filling compressed air into a main container '1 and into a stand-by vessel 2. The end of a compressed air hose 32 can be connected by means of couplings 3, 4 with either the vessel 1 or with the vessel 2. The parts 3 of the couplings which are permanently connected with the vessels are provided with conventional valves which are automatically closed when the coupling member 4, which is mounted on the end of the hose 32, is not connected with a part 3. A suitable coupling is disclosed in Patent No. 2,795,438. Conventional valves 5, 6 and 7 are interposed in the hose 32 in series relation. These valves are held closed by the action of springs and prevent passage of air through the hose 32 until all valves are opened. The valve 6 is adapted to be opened by the coke removal car D when the latter is in the proper position for receiving the hot coke from a coke passage 8 on the service vehicle A. For this purpose the car D is provided with a rail 28 adapted to press against a knob 29 which is connected with a lever for actuating, i.e., for opening the valve '6. Doors 9 are associated with the passage 8 and are adapted to open the valve 7 when the doors are in the position permitting passage of hot coke on the passage 8. Though the two valves 6 and 7 may be opened because the car D and the doors '9 are in ready position, no air flows through the conduit position. For this purpose pipes 34 are provided which bridge the coke chambers 27 and whose 'ends are provided with coupling parts 12, 13 corresponding to the aforementioned coupling parts 4, 3. The parts 12 fit into a coupling part 11 at the end of the hose 32 which end is longitudinally movably mounted on the side of the vehicle A which faces the ends 12 of the pipes 34.

At the right ends of the pipes 34 which ends face the service vehicles B coupling parts 13 are mounted into which a coupling part 14 at the end of the hose 33 may be inserted. The coupling parts 11 and 13 include spring actuated valves which interrupt air flow through the parts 11 and13 until the coupling parts 12 and 14 are intion of the hose 32 carrying the coupling part 11 and which pushes the latter onto the coupling part 12 if compressed air is supplied to the servomotor 10. Likewise, the end of thehose 33 carrying the coupling .part 14 is pushed into a coupling part 13 by a pneumatic servomotor 15. At the time the coupling 13, 14 must be engaged no compressed air is available from the container 1 on the vehicle A and compressed air is supplied from a compressed air accumulator 19 through a hand or foot actuated valve 16. A stand-by vessel 20, filled with compressed air, is connected with the vessel '19 by means of a conduit which is provided with a valve 21 so that compressed air is always available.

When the couplings 11, 12 and 13, 14 are engaged compressed air can be received from the vessel 1 or the vessel 2 on the vehicle A, if the coke removal car D and the grate gates 9 are in the ready position and if the valve is opened by the operator. The compressed air thus conducted into the conduit 33 actuates the switch 17 which may be in the form of a contact pressure gauge. .When the switch 17 is closed auxiliary electric current can flow through a solenoid 36 or a solenoid 37, depend hot coke from the coke chambers of a coke oven plant and for transporting away the removed coke including a first service vehicle provided with a coke passage, a door associated with said passage, a second service vehicle and a coke removal car, a plunger for pushing the hot coke out of said chambers, a motor for reciprocating said plunger, control means for controlling operation of said motor to move said plunger either in one direction or in the opposite direction, and'pneumatically actuated energizing means connected to said control means for energizing. the latter, said plunger, said motor, said control ing on the position of a manually operated switch 24. ,q

The solenoid 36, if energized, closes a switch which controls the supply of electric current from a source to the motor 22 rotating the motor in a direction to push the plunger 23 into a coke chamber 27, for pushing the hot coke out of the chamber. If the solenoid 37 is energized a switch 26 is closed which efliects rotation of the motor 22 in the opposite direction for withdrawing the plunger 23 from the chamber 27.

The compressed'air vessel 19 is connected through a pipe 39 in which a check valve 18 is inserted with the hose 33 and is filled with compressed air from the vessel 1 or 2 when the hoses 32 and 33 are connected with pipe 34 and the valves 5, 6 and 7 are in open position.

The aforedescribed system operates as follows:

After placement of the service vehicles A and B alongside the coke chamber from which the coke must be removed and after the compressed air conduit 32 on the vehicle A is connected with either the vessel 1 or the vessel 2 a car D on which the hot coke is tobe loaded is brought alongside the vehicle A and the doors 9 which are associated with the passage 8 on the vehicle A are brought in a position to permit passage'of hot coke. 5 The elements D and 9 are now in the ready position in which they have automatically opened the valves 6 and 7 i When the valve 5 is now opened by the operator who is placed on the vehicle A, the servomotor 10 receives compressed air for engaging the coupling 11, 12. Thereupon the valve 16 is opened by the operator on the vehicle B so that the servomotor 15 will close the coupling 13, I4

and the hose 33 on the vehicle B is connected with the =3 hose 32 on the vehicle A. The contact pressure gauge 17 is now connected to receive compressed air from the vessels 1 or 2, closing the auxiliary current supply for actuating the switches 25 and 26 so that upon manipulation of the switch 24 the motor 22 can be rotated in the desired direction- If the motor is actuated to advance the plunger 23, hot coke will be pushed out of the coke chamber 27 onto the passage 8 and will slide therefrom onto the car D. By reversing the switch 24 the rotation of the motor is reversedand the plunger 23 is pulled out of valves are individually coordinated with operating elemeans and said energizing means being supported by said second service vehicle; a safeguarding system permitting the actuation of said control means only when said service vehicles, said coke chambers and said coke removal car are in the proper position for transporting away the hot coke, said system including a source of compressed air placed on said first service vehicle, a. firstcompressed air conduit connectable to said source and placed on said first service vehicle, a plurality of second compressed air conduits individually associated with the coke chambers, a disconnectable coupling for disconnectably connecting said first and one of said second conduits in series relation, a third compressed air conduit placed on said second service vehicle, a disconnectable coupling for dis- 'connectably connecting said third and one of saidsecond conduits in series relation, said third conduit being connected to said energizing means, a first valve interposed in said first conduit and adapted to be engaged and opened by said coke removal car when the latter is in proper position alongside said first service vehicle, a'sec- 0nd valve interposed in said first conduit in series relation to said first valve, said second valve being adapted to be engaged and opened by said door when the latter is in a position permitting passage of coke on said passage, and a third valve interposed in said first conduit in series relation to said first and second valves and adapted to be opened by an operator stationed on said first service vehicle. a

2. In the combination according to claim 1 a pneumatic servomotor connected with said first conduit to receive compressed air. therefrom, said coupling for disconnectably connecting said first and one ofsaid second conduits having a part permanentlyconnected with said first conduit and selectively connectable to one of said second conduits, said part being connected with said servomotor and being pushed onto the selected second conduit upon actuation of said servomotor by compressed air received from said first conduit.

3. In the. combination according to claim 1 a compressed air vessel mounted on said second vehicle, a :second pneumatic servomotor mounted on said second vehicle and connected with said vessel to receive compressed air therefrom, said coupling for connecting one "of said second conduits to said third conduit having a part permanently connected to said third conduit and .to said servomotor for connection of the selected second conduit to said part upon actuation of said second servomotor by compressed air from said vessel. I

4. In the combination according to claim 3 a valve adapted to be opened by an operator stationed onsaid second service vehicle, said valve being interposed between said, second servomotor and said vessel.

, 5. In the combination according to claim 3 a pipe connecting said third conduit with said vessel, and a check valve in said pipe permitting flow of compressed air from said third conduit into said vessel and preventing flow of compressed air from said vessel into said third conduit.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Chalmers Sept. 24, 1929 l 2,5 89,231 Dral e Mar. 18, 1952 

